


For the Men and Women in the Sharp Blue and Green

by TigressJade



Series: Spangled Stars and Altered Stripes AU's [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Bucky is a comedian, Bucky's sisters are incorrigible, Drabble, He even has a stage name, M/M, Nobody gets the joke, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers are just confused, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers USO Star, The Author Regrets Nothing, no really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-06
Updated: 2015-07-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 22:10:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4279761
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigressJade/pseuds/TigressJade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve rejoins the USO as a cover to keep everyone else from finding out about Bucky’s return.</p>
            </blockquote>





	For the Men and Women in the Sharp Blue and Green

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Post Winter Soldier AU drabble in which Steve is the last man standing in a search for Bucky, that motivated by an intent to lock him up in a containment area, and find him. The two of them work out a scheme that involves hiding Bucky from S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers forever.

                          

 

If James Buchanan Barnes had a flare for anything it was well placed dramatics. One trip around the world and he’s cutting his way through Hydra as fast as his substantial agility would allow. He couldn’t give a damn about the fallout as his memories kept dripping back to him.

When he eventually found Steve, Steve was alone. The only person who hadn’t all but given up on a humane search effort. Steve was the one focal point Bucky’s mind had retained despite it’s forcible reprogramming.

Bucky could convince Steve of anything if he truly put his mind to it, and, this time he wanted to cut ties to the Hydra technology bound to his left shoulder. Steve gritted his teeth and fought his way to a ‘no’ that never reached his lips.

“I don’t want to die” Bucky gritted back, “and I’m convinced I will, punk, if one of those slithering heads flips the right switch.”

That made Steve back off and eventually, help Bucky devise a scheme to convince a doctor-without-borders to perform the surgery.

The slow regeneration of Bucky’s shoulder and underarm were an unprecedented, but entirely welcome, surprise during the next few days of hiding out.

It took months of living in the bush for Bucky’s arm to grow back, but when it did he and Steve pre-emptively parted ways.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was looking for him and wanted Steve to return to their ranks to help reshape the agency from its hollowed foundation. Steve returned and officially retired, citing a desire to relive his USO days and give back to the men and women in uniform in a more nonviolent manner.

Fury gives him an odd expression, shakes his head, and warns him that he’ll crave the adrenaline and be back to tearing down the enemy within a week.

Steve lasts a few months and on a trip to the States finds a young comedian doing standup in a down and out club, he goes back for three shows and then "decides" to bring the young man to the tour directors’ attention.

Jimmie Clarence, as Bucky’s alias claims him to be, is a decent performer, if not someone who knows how to work a room, despite his otherwise quiet backstage persona, although the tour director knows this isn’t unusual for comics who tend to bring with them a prepackaged set of emotional issues that drive them toward comedy as an outlet.

Steve’s given the job of helping Jimmie audition for the troupe and giving him the full tour of the facilities and a full set of introductions. He does and Jimmie becomes a regular face in their crowd during overseas tours.

S.H.I.E.L.D. hits a dead end in their search for the Winter Soldier and check out Steve’s group on Fury’s orders, a discreet cursory search by agents who Bucky’s never seen in person, and they hoped, wouldn’t be as noticeable to Steve, quickly discover that no one had a missing limb or the nearly steroid-bulked form the Winter Soldier was known for. Jimmie Clarence is new and but his alias and medical records check out.

Steve continues to tour for the USO and draw caricatures on request, seemingly happy in his own brand of retirement. Something that’s thrown even Tony off at this point, but he makes an appearance as Iron Man once in a while when Steve asks, so he seemingly takes Steve’s new existence in stride.

Bucky eventually visits his sisters, who still talk as though he’s dead, particularly in front of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, something that throws even Natasha who can only hear so many stories about tiny Steve and Bucky’s various girlfriends. He goes with Steve as Jimmie Clarence for anyone who asks, and Steve introduces him as his new boyfriend, something that Bucky’s sisters take in stride more as a running joke and proceed to tell him the same stories for the benefit of the bugs S.H.I.E.L.D. leaves behind. After Steve and Bucky find the last one and break it, they set about business as usual and attempt to help make dinner.


End file.
